Relative risk analysis of several manufactured nanomaterials : an insurance industry context

This paper presents a relative risk analysis for the industrial fabrication of five nanomaterials that are either currently or nearly ready for large-scale production and commercialization: single-walled carbon nanotubes, buckyballs, one variety of quantum dots, alumoxane nanoparticles, and nano-titanium dioxide. The assessment focused on the activities surrounding the fabrication of nanomaterials, rather than any impacts or risks with the nanoparticles themselves. The article first describes how the risk assessment was conducted, and finally reports that this analysis determined that the relative environmental risk from manufacturing these five nanomaterials was comparatively low in relation to other common industrial manufacturing processes.